Heel-building machine.



No. 744,270. 7 PATENTED NOV. 17, 1903.

F. H. WHITEL HEEL BUILDING MACHINE.

. APPLICATION FILED my 16, 1903.

no MODEL.

' EI/enfan J/ Ir/44c:

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFI E.-

iatented November 1'7, 190%;

FRED H. WHITE, OF EAsToN,1MAssAoiIiisETTs;

HEEL-BUILDING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N'o. 744,270, dated November 1?, 1903.

Application filed May 16, 1903.

To otZZ whom it may cancer-m,

Be it known that I, FRED H.WHITE, of Easton, in the county of Bristol andState of Massachusetts,have invented certain new and usefullmprovementsin Heel-Building Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to appliances for assembling heel-lifts in their proper relative positions preparatory to being temporarily connected by nails or otherwise; and it consists in the improved machine hereinafter described, comprising a bed upon which the blanks for a heelmaybe assembled by hand in an approximation to their final position, a pair of jaws movable relatively to the bed both endwise and sidewise, and means for moving the jaws simultaneously, the arrangement being such that when the jaws are moved endwise toward the pile of blanks they are also moved sidewise in opposite directions or toward each other, so that their acting faces,which are heel-shaped, are caused to exert both lengthwise and sidewise pressure on the pile of heel-blanks, the arrangement being also such that the jaws conform automatically to the size ofthe heel for which the blanks are intended and act to accurately position all theblanks and hold them while the operator temporarily secures them together by driving a suitable number of nails into the pile of blanks.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a partof this specification, Figure 1 represents a top plan view of a heel-building machine embodying my invention, the jaws being retracted and separated from each other. Fig 2 represents a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the jaws projected and moved inwardly toward each other. Fig. 3 represents a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 represents a rear end elevation.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, a'represents a base orbed, which may be provided with means, such as perforated ears a, whereby it may be attached by screws to a bench or table. At one end of the bed is preferably arranged a stop or gage b, which projects above the work- Serial 1%.; 157,396. (No model.)

supporting surface of the bed and supports the breasts of the heel-lifts during the assembling and positioning operations hereinafter described. The gage b may be vertically adjusted, if desired, by means of screws 12, passing through slots 19 formed in the gage.

c 0 represent jaws the acting faces of which are formed to cooperate with the gage b in inclosing a heel-shaped space, or, in other words, to bear upon the curved margin of a heel or an assemblage of heel-lifts, the breast portions of which bear against the gage b. The said jaws are movable upon the bed a, the jaws having lengthwise movements toward and from the gage and sidewise move= ments toward'and from each other. The result of these movements is an oblique movement of each jaw toward the central portion of the space bounded by the jaws and the gage b. Any suitable means may be employed for operating the jaws c, the operat-- ing means being such that the jaws can conform to heel-blanks of various sizes, their forward and inward movement being limited by the size of the blanks being operated upon.

The said operating mechanism is also of such nature that the sidewise movements of the jaws which vary the width of the space between them is directly proportioned to the lengthwise movements of the jaws, so that the extent of the sidewise movement of the jawsis determined by the extentof thelengthwise movement. I

The means employed for operating the jaws in-the present embodiment of my invention are as follows: 0' 0' represent shanks which are formed on and project rearwardly from the jaws c c. In the inner sides of said shanks are formed recesses c 0 which receive the upper portion of an operating member or arm at, having a back and forth motion that causes the shanks and jaws to move endwise. The member or arm dis preferably one arm of a bell-crank lever pivoted at cl to the base a, the other arm, (1 of said lever being connected by a rod (1 with a treadle, (not shown,) whereby the operating member may be moved to force the shanks and jaws forward or toward the gage b. A spring e, connecting the arm (I with the real-end of the base ct, acts to retract the shanks and jaws and raise the treadle when the pressure of the operators foot on the latter is removed. The recesses c are of such size that they engage the arm (I loosely, so that the shanks c are adapted to swing or oscillate in the directions required to give the jaws 0 their sidewise movements toward and from each other.

e 0 represent guiding members which are oblique slots formed in the shanks c, and ff represent complemental guiding members formed as vertical studs affixed to the base a and passing through said slots.

g 9 represent stops on which the jaws are caused to swing by the conjoint action of the operating member d and the guiding members c and f. Said stops are attached to the rear end of the bed and arranged to bear upon the outer sides of the rearends of the shanks c, the shanks being in sliding contact with the stops g. A spring h, interposed between the rear end portions of the shanks 0', holds the said portions in contact with the stops g g.

In operating the described machine the operator places a pile of heel-blanks iupon the bed a, the breast portions of the blanks bearing against the gage b. The operator then depresses the treadle, thus moving the arm (Z in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3 and causing it to force the shanks and jaws forward endwise toward the gage b. At

the same time the stops 9, oblique slots 0 and studsfcooperate in swinging the shanks and jaws inwardly toward each other, so that when the jaws reach the forward extreme of their end wise movement they come together, or nearly so, as indicated in Fig. 2, this being the position occupied by the jaws when they are acting on heel-lifts of the smallest size for which the machine is adapted. When blanks of larger size are employed, the forward and inward movements of the jaws are arrested whenever the jaws have come to a full bearing upon the margins of the blanks. It will be seen that the slots 0 and studsf cause the sidewise movements of the jaws to be directly proportioned to the lengthwise movements and that the stops 9 g, with which the rear ends of the shanks are in sliding contact, cause the shanks and jaws to swing from centers which are determined by the positions of the stops. The said stops are adjustable by means of slotsjj in plates or brackets 70, on which the stops are formed, and bolts m passing through said slots and securing the brackets it to the base a, the arrangement of the slots being such as to permit the stops to be adjusted toward and from each other. The spring h compensates for any adjustments of the stops 9 and maintains the sliding connection between the stops and the jawshanks under any adjustment of the stops. After the jaws have been brought to a firm bearing upon the curved margin of the heel and the blanks have been accurately positioned thereby the operator temporarilysecures the lifts together bydriving one or more nails through the assemblage of lifts, a tray 0 being preferably provided to contain a supply of nails.

The spring h, yieldingly holding the rear ends of the shanks against the stops g 9, enables said rear ends to swing inwardly from the stops in case the shape of the heel-blanks is such that the outer portions of the jaws come to a bearing on the blanks before the inner portions. In this event the shanks will swing on the studs f, the jaws swinging outwardly and the inner ends of the shanks inwardly, so that the jaws will conform approximately to the shape of the blanks.

I claim 1. A heel-building machine comprising a bed, a pair of jaws movable endwise and sidewise thereon, an operating member loosely engaged with the jaws, means for giving said member a back-and-forth movement to reciprocate the jaws endwise, stops with which the rear portions of the jaws are in sliding contact, oblique slots in said jaws, and fixed studs entering said slots, the said stops, slots, and studs cooperating with the operating member in imparting sidewise swinging movements to the jaws.'

2. A heel-building machine comprising a bed, a pair of jaws movable endwise and sidewise thereon,means for reciprocating the jaws endwise, stops with which the rear portions of the jaws are in sliding contact, means for holding the jaws yieldingly against the stops, and jaw-guiding members having provisions for imparting sidewise movements to the jaws when they are moved endwise.

3. A heel-building machine comprising a bed, a pair of jaws movable endwise and sidewise thereon, means for reciprocating the jaws endwise, stops with which the rear portions of the jaws are in sliding contact, said stops being adjustable to vary the distance between them, means for positively securing the stops in any positions to which they may be adjusted, and jaw-guiding members having provisions for imparting sidewise movements to the jaws when they are moved endwise.

4. A heel-building machine comprising a bed, a pair of jaws having rearwardly-projecting shanks containingoblique slots, fixed studs entering said slots, means for reciprocating the jaws endwise and thereby causing the slots and studs to cooperate in swinging the jaws sidewise, and stops to limit the outward sidewise movement of the rear ends of the shanks.

5. A heel-building machine comprising a bed, a pair of jaws having rearwardly-projecting shanks containing oblique slots, fixed studs entering said slots, means for reciproeating the jaws endwise and thereby causing In testimony whereof I have affixed my sigthe slots and studs to cooperate in moving nature in presence of two witnesses.

the jaws sidewise, stops to limit the outward sidewise movement of the rear ends of the shanks, and a spring interposed between the Witnesses: shanks for holding the shanks yieldingly O. F. BROWN, against the stops. 1 E. BATCHELDER.

FRED I-I. WHITE. 

